The guests continued to arrive at the Lu family villa throughout the day.
Su He was busy from morning till night, her legs almost giving out. Moreover, she had to maintain a polite smile and deal with various relatives, which was truly exhausting.
After her bath, she collapsed on the bed, not wanting to move.
Lu Yanbei knew she had worked hard and sat beside her, massaging her. "You've worked hard, wife."
Lu Yanbei was becoming increasingly comfortable calling her 'wife'.
However, hearing the term, Su He felt exceptionally awkward.
She hadn't adjusted to this identity yet.
She preferred him to call her girlfriend over wife.
Seeing Su He's ears turn red, Lu Yanbei couldn't resist teasing her. He leaned in, kissing the back of her neck, and asked playfully, "You don't like the term 'wife'? Then, how about 'baby'?"
The word 'baby' sounded particularly sexy coming from his lips, instantly raising Su He's cheek temperature.
Such an intimate and ambiguous term was truly embarrassing.
Su He buried her head in the quilt, intending to play dead.
Lu Yanbei laughed and pulled her out from under the covers, saying dotingly, "Covering yourself so tightly, aren't you afraid you won't be able to breathe?"
"Stop talking, go take a shower!" Su He felt that if he continued to flirt like this, she would truly explode.
Lu Yanbei had always been reasonable and knew when to stop. Seeing the faint pink flush on Su He's neck, he knew he shouldn't push his luck further. So, he knew when to quit, got up obediently, and followed her instruction to go to the bathroom.
While Lu Yanbei was showering, Su He spent a long time getting the heat from her face to subside.
She pulled up the quilt and took out her phone to check messages she hadn't had time to read during the day. She saw that many people in the family group had tagged her, so she quickly clicked in to catch up.
"Susu, Happy New Year, come get your red envelopes quickly!"
"Sister, Dad gave out eighty-eight red envelopes today, why didn't you come to grab them?"
"Susu, are you there?"
"What's wrong with this girl, doesn't she want money?"
"Maybe she's busy, she'll reply when she has time."
Su He spent a full five minutes reading hundreds of messages. Of course, she opened every single red envelope. The notifications of incoming funds kept ringing, and the curve of Su He's lips widened.
Receiving money felt so good.
After finishing with the messages, Su He glanced at her wallet balance, which had surprisingly exceeded four digits.
Another day of harvest!
Su He happily sent several thank-you emojis, and the day's fatigue vanished without a trace.
Seeing Su He's message, the family group became active again, with everyone asking what Su He had been doing all day.
Su He typed leisurely, "Many relatives came to the house, so I was busy entertaining them."
"You're celebrating the New Year at the Lu family's place?" Su Ying sent a curious emoji.
Su He replied with an affirmative emoji.
"Tomorrow is the second day of the lunar new year, are you coming over?" Tang Jiaojiao seized the opportunity to ask.
Su He glanced in the direction of the bathroom. "We should be back, right?"
"You absolutely must come back!" Tang Jiaojiao declared domineeringly. "Your father has already booked a restaurant, and all of you must come back tomorrow. Anyone who dares not to return will have their mother-son relationship severed!"
"That serious?"
"Mother is mighty!"
"I wonder if it's still possible to book flight tickets at this hour..."
Tang Jiaojiao's statement brought out all four of Su He's siblings, except for Su Chen.
Su Chen was the quietest.
Seeing that he hadn't spoken, Tang Jiaojiao specifically tagged him. "Xiao Chen, they've all stated their intentions, what about you?"
After a while, Su Chen appeared. "I'm in Nancheng, I might be a little late."
"What are you doing in Nancheng?" Tang Jiaojiao asked casually.
Su He, quick-witted, provided an explanation for Su Chen. "Big brother's hometown seems to be in Nancheng."
Su Chen was the illegitimate son of a wealthy businessman in Nancheng. Due to the power struggle between the legal wife and the mistress, he had narrowly escaped death. In desperation, the businessman sent him to B City to be looked after by a friend. Little did he know, the girlfriend had been bribed by the legal wife and intended to kill him. Fortunately, Su Chen was fated to live and had secretly escaped, thus avoiding disaster.
The Su family was wealthy and powerful, with constant infighting and rumored chaos.
Although Su Chen had been recognized, he never interfered in family business. He founded Yiteng Technology himself, making his stance clear. The company had been developing increasingly well over the years, and with an IPO in sight, the Su family naturally valued him highly. Therefore, they had uncharacteristically summoned him back, allowing him to attend the family reunion dinner.
Su Chen, however, was quite disdainful, and many of those people harbored ill intentions towards him, often resorting to petty schemes behind his back. In the past, he could tolerate it. But as they became increasingly audacious, he had to issue a warning.
This trip back was bound to be a Hongmen Banquet.
Yet, Su Chen was fearless.
He was no longer the illegitimate son who could be manipulated as he pleased back then.
Reminded by Su He, Tang Jiaojiao finally reacted. "Then have a good reunion with your family. It's not important if you can't make it back tomorrow."
She had always been open-minded.
Su Chen, however, had already grabbed his phone and booked the earliest flight.
After arranging the gathering for the next day, Su He yawned and put down her phone. She was utterly exhausted after a long day and fell asleep shortly after.
When Lu Yanbei came out of the bathroom, Su He was already fast asleep.
She lay on her side near the edge of the bed, completely wrapped in the quilt, with only a small head peeking out. Her long hair was spread across the pillow, slightly messy, but it didn't detract from the beauty of the scene.
Lu Yanbei sat on the outer edge of the bed and gazed at her for a long time before leaning down to plant a light kiss on her cheek. "Goodnight, baby."
Su He, lost in dreams, was completely oblivious and slept soundly.
*
The next day, Su He woke up very early.
The warmth beside her was close, radiating a comforting heat.
Su He raised her head and admired Lu Yanbei's flawless, exquisite features. His perfect jawline was truly sexy. Su He couldn't resist raising her hand and gently tracing the beautiful curve.
He was an extremely disciplined person, allowing no stubble on his face. Therefore, his skin felt incredibly smooth to the touch.
Su He found it irresistible.
Lu Yanbei had actually woken up when she did, but he hadn't opened his eyes.
Su He's repeated provocations were an absolute torment for a grown man.
"Stop messing around," he said, reaching out to grip her wrist.
"So you were pretending to be asleep?" Su He exclaimed in surprise.
Lu Yanbei slowly opened his eyes. "With a beauty in my arms, and you touching me all over, how could I possibly sleep?"
Su He bit her lip, flustered. "I didn't..."
"You've been caught red-handed, yet you deny it." Lu Yanbei leaned in and kissed her lips, only releasing her when she was breathless. However, this only fanned the flames within him, making them uncontrollable.
"Baby, help me..." Lu Yanbei guided her hand under the covers.
When Su He realized what he was asking her to do, her face instantly turned as red as a tomato.